Denise "Larana" Cerreta Interview: James Beard Award for Humanitarian of the Year
Diana Landau | January 09, 2023
Carl interviews Denise "Larana" Cerreta this week. Larana is author of the new book, "The Dead, The Rose and My Yellow Brick Road" and at age 61 is on her fourth (or is it fifth?) act. In addition to taking off a year to follow a Grateful Dead tour and writing about it, Larana has had a successful acupuncture practice, a very unique cafe, founded a global non-profit foundation and most recently has opened up an apothecary in Canton, Ohio. "I march to my own drum and follow my passions!" she tells us.
Larana grew up in Canton with a very large Italian-immigrant family on both sides. Lots of cousins, great food and holidays were a big part of her childhood. "I didn't realize how special that was until I got older," she tells us. As a teenager, she was always inquisitive and cared deeply for humanity. These qualities were woven into her career paths.
As an adult, she owned a successful acupuncture practice in Salt Lake City. (Fun fact: Acupuncture helps with pickleball injuries!) Larana says she felt privileged to help so many people. She closed the practice when she was 41 and took a leap. She wanted to do something new and she started a cafe. "With lots of trial and error, I wanted to provide a way for people to eat good, organic food within a community." Larana was a pioneer in the "pay what you can" movement, where customers paid what they felt they should or could. (The CEO of Panera was so inspired by her example that he tried it at Panera with the "Pay What You wish" program in 2010). In 2017, her One World Everybody Eats Cafe received the James Beard Foundation Award for Humanitarian of the Year.
Food insecurity affects 800 million people globally. At the same time she was running the cafe, Larana says her heart opened again and she knew what to do next. She started a non-profit foundation called "One World Everybody Eats" to help others launch their dreams of building community through providing good, organic food. She envisioned One World Everybody Eats cafes to create spaces where people come together, eat in dignity, and form strong bonds that foster an interconnected community. Now (un)retired from the organization, she says they continue to hold inspiring annual summits for the cafe owners around the world.
On a spiritual journey to Santa Fe, Larana decided to change her name from Denise to Larana. "I found my new self," she says. She always wanted to follow the Dead and Company (formerly Grateful Dead) on tour, so she decided to embark on a "Celebration of Life" tour at the age of 57 and give herself that gift.
Always an inspiring, creative entrepreneur, Larana has now opened Miss Larana's Alchemical Apothecary in downtown Canton. Customers can create personalized skincare and beauty products using organic ingredients and essential oils to blend lotions, lip balms, bath orbs, and more. "I feel like I have an 'Aha!' moment every day. It's important."
Larana's (Un)retirement Advice:
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"I like the lottery theory: Think about what you would do if you won the lottery and then do it! It gets fear out of the way and cuts to the center of what you really want."
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"Don't talk yourself out of crazy ideas that come to you. It can be a good thing."
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"Health is so key! Yoga is really important as we age for flexibility. I also recently bought an electric bike and now ride 20 miles a day. I feel so invigorated!"
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” blog.
Robin Pajaro Interview: Former Chef Gets Her Groove Back!
Diana Landau | November 16, 2021
Carl interviews Robin Pajaro, a former head chef for Ritz Carlton, a private chef on yachts, a hypnotherapist, owner of Coco’s Cocktail Caravan and so much more. What’s important to know about Robin is she embraces change and is unafraid to try new endeavors—which is why she seems to be successful at whatever she sets out to do.
FUN FACT: Robin’s mother was the first Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland. She became Walt Disney’s stewardess on his private jet and was there when they found that Florida property. To learn more about some of Walt’s eccentricities and the secret Club 33, you'll have to listen to the podcast!
Robin grew up in Laguna Beach, an only child to a single mother. Her mother was a big exec at Kodak who loved to cook and entertain. “I really owe a lot to her for my love of cooking and entertaining,” Robin says, “she always included me in it. Cooking eventually became my passion and I took it a step further.” Robin says she was a rebellious, adventurous teen that managed to stay out of trouble. At age 19 in community college, she was in a serious car accident and lost her short-term memory for months. The struggle to get back to normal made her think, “Maybe there’s something bigger out there for me.”
She jumped at an opportunity to go to South Africa for 3 months. “It was a special time (in South Africa),” she says. “Nelson Mandela had just been released from prison and it was great to see all the change happen.” Three years later, after backpacking all over the continent with friends, Robin took a job in Boston aboard a private yacht with the hopes of attending culinary school. “I just winged it,” she laughs. She says the family was very kind and the job was fun. Then she attended culinary school in Pasadena, closer to home.
Robin interned for Ritz Carlton and eventually became head chef at their Laguna Niguel property. It was the 1990’s, the pay was not so great and the field was entirely male-dominated. She worked hard to be respected and tells us she felt like a pioneer for women in her industry. Later, when she met her husband, she left the chef-world to become a mother, raising two daughters. But she never really stopped working, trying on completely new ventures—including a time as a certified hypnotherapist, adolescent alcohol and drug counselor, competing in a triathlon, even a stint as pastry chef at a doggie bakery.
While working at the doggie bakery, she re-discovered her passion for cooking. “Doing that creative work again and having full control of it really reminded me how much I loved cooking. I asked, "Now that I have my passion back, what do I want to do?” She became interested in mobile-entertaining and the possibility of working with so many different kinds of people intrigued her. Robin and her husband found a gutted out 1970’s retro trailer and after some remodeling and planning launched “Coco’s Cocktail Caravan.” “I love this business, seeing people’s faces light up. And it’s so much fun—we’ve done Barks & Brews for a good cause, weddings, business openings, even a disco party!”
Robin’s (Un)retirement Tips:
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“Figure out what you don't want to do, that’s half the trouble.”
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“Finding your passion (or rediscovering it in some way, like I did), and being 100% confident in your expertise, you can’t fail. Just take the leap!”
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“When you're in your joy, your bliss --and making money too, what more do you want?!”
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.
Patrick Mulvaney Interview: It Really Is A Wonderful Life!
Diana Landau | June 29, 2021
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In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” George Bailey learns that his family business, Bailey Bros. Building and Loan, is so much more than a business. It's about the bonds they created to hold the community together. Patrick Mulvaney, award-winning chef, leader of the Farm-to Fork movement in Northern California and a local hero for his non-profit programs, was inspired by this sentiment and named his restaurant Mulvaney’s B&L. Patrick and his wife Bobbin have a successful restaurant business--- and have taken it to a whole new level of community service.
Although Patrick calls his restaurant a “shanty Irish joint” it is elevated dining using the freshest ingredients. Patrick and Bobbin believe the world can be a better place through their restaurant. They have cultivated relationships with local farmers, developed programs like Great Plates to feed hungry people in need and during the pandemic they were a vital part of a region-wide program, Family Meal Sacramento, making meals for over 100,000 families. California Governor Gavin Newsom observed the program and pledged to take it statewide during the pandemic.
Patrick’s grandparents on both sides immigrated to the U.S from Ireland. He grew up in New York with a lawyer father and an English professor mother. Then he found his true calling by working in kitchens and the rest is history! He had the opportunity to apprentice with a chef in Ireland. “I was fired 6 times in 9 months!” he says.
Patrick worked at Rockaway Beach in Queens for a time, and it was there he learned the powerful connectivity between a restaurant and the community. “It’s a place to help the community become stronger, to become engaged, and it’s also a pathway to making your voice heard to decision makers.” Patrick then worked his way up the ladder at Metropolis in NYC under Leslie Revsin. During grad school at UC Davis, he saw a 12-month growing season and winemaking and knew he wanted to open his own restaurant in Sacramento, which he did in 2006.
“It gets back to what I learned in Ireland—where does your food come from? Do you know the farmers? Sacramento felt like home.” Now he is one of the lead innovators of the Farm-to-Fork movement, bringing farmers and chefs together in a big way. “It’s given something to Sacramento that the people can be proud of.”
Patrick and Bobbin also started the I Got Your Back Project, a mental health program and education for restaurant employees, after there were several suicides in the local restaurant community. “Restaurant work can be fast-paced, stressful and nocturnal. It requires thick skin and talent, not a college degree.” The program is now helping people every day.
What’s next? Patrick is still doing what he loves to do, wishing maybe he had a little more quiet time to cook. But he’s also taking the time to think about and reflect on what he wants to accomplish in his third act, whether it’s more involvement in advocacy, mental health, food insecurity or all three. We know he will keep making the world a better place!
Patrick’s (Un) Retirement Wisdom for Second Acts:
“Keep your eyes open and be enthusiastic in whatever it is you're doing, knowing that it might not be a direct path to doing (exactly) what you want to do. But know the experience will eventually help you in some way. When you meet someone, you never know what it is they can teach you, or how they might lift you up!”
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.
